Why a Smaller Agency May Be Just What You're Looking For

When
it comes to finding the right agency, size matters. But probably not in the way
you've become accustomed to.

At
first, clients often think they need a big agency. After all, big agencies have
larger staff numbers, which means they can service a lot of clients. Clients
also assume that an agency with a large staff must be financially stable, an
important quality in a partner. (Though, of course, this assumption is a
dangerous one.) Often,
however, once these clients start looking, they discover that a smaller agency
is actually the best fit.

A Small Wonder

We're
pretty small here at Kenwood Experiences, but we work with amazing
enterprise-level brands. While we're not a one-stop shop for them, our unique
expertise fills a need better than a larger, more generalized agency can. One
example is when we worked with Capcom to create experiences for the Electronic Entertainment Expo — commonly known
as E3. We brought some of its most popular titles to life with life-size
dragons and battle heroes. We were able to bring a level of detail and
innovation to that engagement that Capcom might have missed with a more
cookie-cutter firm.

We
also got to create award-winning VR experiences for charitable organizations
like Robin Hood and work with
clients like Pure Storage and Docker at world-class technology
conferences.

I've
worked with larger agencies before, so I can say from experience that the level
of nimbleness, effectiveness, and accessibility we were able to bring to those
clients greatly enhanced their experiences.

So
why isn't bigger always better? Why do large clients choose to work with
boutique agencies like ours? There are four reasons that I've discovered in my
time at Kenwood.

1. Clients are diversifying.

When
you consider industry trends, larger enterprise clients now have a stable of
dozens — if not hundreds — of agencies they partner with. This benefits them
because they get specialists across the board, rather than putting all of their
eggs in one general basket. When
these clients hire boutique agencies, it's often for project-based work. And
they choose agencies willing and able to take risks. It becomes the perfect way
for them to test new strategies without too much investment.

2. Small agencies are nimble.

Because
their infrastructure is smaller, boutique agencies are able to react to the
market and the evolving needs of clients more quickly and effectively than
agencies with broader, heavier infrastructure. Some people cite this small
workforce as a problem. What they miss is that freelancers can easily round out
a team, and most small agencies have a vast network of freelance partners. This
allows them to be as big (or as small) as the client needs.

3. Small agencies are accessible.

Brands
get high-touch service and are treated like they are the most important client
in the roster— because they often are. Smaller agencies need to be hungrier and
provide higher levels of service to win and retain relationships. Their
survival depends on it.

4. Small agencies are more innovative and creative.

Unlike
larger agencies with deep benches, you won't get also-ran strategic or creative
talent from deep in the agency. You'll get the premier talent, often principals
of the agency who have skin in the game. And more often than not, smaller
agencies are staffed with heavy hitters from the larger shops who have decided
to jump off the political holding company freight train to just do great work.

Sometimes,
people equate small with risky. More often than not, though, the better
equation is small equals nimble, creative, and accessible — all good reasons
for choosing an agency, no matter the size.